The Blue Mage
by StarWhisperer
Summary: The orphanage gang was a group of special children being tested to see if they were suitable to be Cid's special group of "Elite Seed's". Quistis is one of the ones found suitable but what does being and Elite Seed mean? and will she survive it?
1. Childhood

A little blonde haired girl sat on a cliff top watching an azure sky and an azure sea with penetrating azure eyes that regarded the world with adult comprehension.

"Someday I will go to the farthest reaches of the sea and see all the lands that it flows from" She said quietly but clearly. The man who stood silently behind, watching her sighed at his unperceived discovery.

"Why do you think that?"

"I know it because my mother told me it would be so." She stated never taking her eyes off the ocean

"I believe both her and you, I could almost believe that you could see them whilst sitting here." This time she did turn to look at him, her sparkling azure eyes seeming to penetrate his very soul.

"Not yet" He gave an involuntary shudder as she got up and walked towards the orphanage. And he wondered, not for the first time, what he and his wife had got themselves into.

1 Year Later (Quistis is 6years old)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"No Irvy! We have to use _these_ bwanches for guns, but mine is going to be a Bazooka! BOOM!" She shouted jumping around while the auburn haired boy called Irvine pretended to explode trying to please the girl in the sunshine yellow dress.

"Could you please be quieter or move further up the beach?" Quistis asked in her usual soft tone but with a note of command. The older girl had been sitting silently watching the sea when her two exuberant peers had interrupted her thoughts.

"Bossy Quisty!" she heard one of them mutter as they walked away.

"Bossy Quisty, Eh? That's a nickname I'll encourage to be around for a long time" Quistis looked round and grinned at her tall, blonde twin.

"That's fine then, _Seify_" he winced at the name. She got up and hugged him, smiling happily. "I didn't hear you come?"

"I'm not surprised with all the noise those two were making" he pointed to a distant part of the beach where "Bangs!" and "Booms!" were floating to them from. "You probably wouldn't be able to hear a train passing right over you."

She looked at him with suspicion. "You know as well as I do that's not what I meant"

"… Matron taught me a new technique that blocks me from you"

"Why?" Quistis pondered.

"Why what?" Asked Seifer

"Come sit with me" They both sat down on the sand dune and faced the sea. "Why bring together 8 children and start teaching us things like that? And we are children very specifically chosen I am sure"

"Us for our mother and what we received from her?"

"And perhaps even our father."

"Yes perhaps but how would then know?"

"The only way would be if Edea sensed his power in us and even that wouldn't give away his identity, and she may not have even sensed his power. They could not know who he was"

"Or is" their eyes locked in mutual pain and hope.

"Or is she repeated him quietly, her throat dry.

"Why Squall?" he asked after they had sat in silence for a while

"Huh?"

"Why Squall? I just about understand everyone else, not him"

"Hmm, Irvine has good eyes he would make an excellent scout or sharp shooter, I'm not sure why that would qualify him for here but who knows. Selphie has great potential for magic and vast amounts of energy, I think Edea plans to let Selphie inherit her powers. Perhaps Irvine would be her protector? They do seem to be encouraged to spend a lot of time together. Ellone reeked of magic"

"I overheard matron say it was something to do with time?" Quistis nodded.

"And Zell's parents? His mother or father was some sort of power I think? But I don't sense anything of the sort in him."

"They may be waiting for it to develop?" suggested Seifer.

"I agree. But the question remains, why squall? And why here? What are we here for?"

"We're being assessed" Comprehension began to dawn in Quistis' eyes.

"Explain please?" Seifer pointed to a man in a maroon tank top not half a mile away who was watching them intently.

"That man Cid he does nothing but observe us and Matron, Edea, teaches us small things to see how we well learn and if we can"

"It makes sense but what for?"

"And Ellone, her power and suitability was proved and now she's gone"

"Now you're just speculating"

"But it still makes sense, and I think you will be the next to go"

"Why?" Quistis asked, fear written in her eyes.

"Because your power is also very obvious and very great. Everyone else has none"

"You have some."

"Not as much as you. You will be next"

"No!"

"You will be next"

A tear slid down her face and she hugged her brother.

"I know"


	2. Journeying

"Only two suitable from this batch"

Quistis woke up to hear a stranger's deep voice and the familiar rhythm of the tide replaced by the throaty hum of a car engine.

"But they're goodins I hear" She remembered Matron telling everyone she was going to a nice new family called the Trepies, but whispering to her that she was going somewhere else and not to be afraid.

"And they're still being tested" She hoped Seifer was okay. He was quite angry at her being taken but he had always been good at controlling his anger.

"Hear there's a blonde boy with some potential that they're still looking at." This immediately drew Quistis' full attention to the conversation. "And a girl who Edea's thinking about making her heiress."

"But I hear one of them was a complete dud. They're setting him up with a proper family, probably sometime next month."

"Guess who'll be the ones who get that job?"

"You shouldn't complain, ya know? It's an honour to help Cid and Edea any way we can."

"Your right, your right, but its so strange being around all these amazing people and children and it makes me feel so useless"

"Your not useless, we're not useless. We're doing our job just like everyone else on the planet, we just happen to work for some interesting employees."

The car went over a bump and Quistis gave an involuntary groan.

"Hey Banner, I think she's waking up."

"What's the time?" She asked groggily.

"Only a few hours, it's about 4 o'clock in the morning now, you can go back to sleep."

"Uh huh" She replied and closed her eyes ready to welcome back her rest.

"She's a beautiful kid. So cute when she's sleepy like that, seems a shame to put her through it."

~~*~~

"Wake up sleepy head" one of the men called to her, opening her car door. She got up and stretched.

"Where are we?"

"About 200miles from your orphanage"

She looked around at the bleak Centran hills that surrounded her noticing a strangely shaped object far in the distance.

"What's that?" She asked pointing

"In that direction is the old Centran City. You must have pretty good eyes to see that. That might be why she's joining" One of them whispered to the other.

"What are we doing here?"

"This is the drop-off point, well over that hill anyway. Come on, it's not a far to walk"

It only took a few minutes to climb to the top of the hill. Beneath them was an estuary with four ships docked there. They were all small people fast ships that she estimated could probably carry about 10 passengers each. There was also another, larger ship there, it was obviously under construction or repair but the completed parts had all been painted in different shades of white and creamy white.

"Will we be going by ship now?" 

"We sure will" Quistis smiled involuntarily. She loved the water.

~~*~~

"Welcome to the Zephyr" Smiled a young man as she entered one of the black ships.

"Thank you" Quistis smiled at the name and the friendly man that would obviously be taking her to her final destination.

"Here, let me take your case. I'll show you to your quarters."

Her berth was snug and had a glorious window showing her a panorama of the sea.

"Is this okay for you?" asked the man.

"It's perfect. Thank you" She beamed at him.

"You like the sea too, huh?" She nodded still with a huge grin on her face.

"I think we'll get along just great then. I'm Marcus" He held out his hand and she put her small one into it and shook.

"Quistis."

The sea journey was quite uneventful. Marcus introduced her to the rest of the crew and they were all friendly, showing her how the ship worked and how to control it. A huge, elegant sail shaped like a double pair of wings powered it as well as Centran technology that no one really understood. She was once allowed a go of steering it. And they teased that she would put them all out of their jobs yet.

When the boat was nearing it's destination, Quistis realised she would miss the beautiful ship and it's youthful crew. And that she was getting more nervous as they got closer to where she would find out her fate.

The next morning she was woken up with a rap on her door and Marcus' voice calling.

"We're almost there" Her heart gave a jump and began to beat faster in anticipation. She dressed quickly and ran up on deck. Only a few miles away she could see a strange building rising out of the sea.

"What is that place?" She wondered out loud.

"We call it the Deep Sea Research Centre or the DSRC. Some people call it Home. You can call it your destiny." Marcus answered without his usual humour.

The uneasy feeling in Quistis' stomach grew as the Research centre got closer and closer.


End file.
